This invention relates in general to structural framing and cladding systems used in door frames for door assemblies which are used as structural components of buildings. More specifically, the invention relates to frames, frame kits, and jamb substrate coverings made using pultruded fiber reinforced polymeric (FRP), e.g. pultruded fiberglass, structures and wherein frames made from the frame kits, optionally including side light windows, are installed in doorway rough openings which serve as entrance points into a building, and the coverings are installed on door frame substrates.
As used herein, including in the claims which follow, reference to “entry” door frames is directed to doors which are sized and configured to facilitate ingress and egress of people into and out of a building.
As used herein, including in the claims which follow, reference to “garage” door frames is directed to doors which are sized and configured to facilitate ingress and egress of vehicles into and out of a building.
As used herein, including in the claims which follow, reference to “entrance” door frames is directed generically to all doors which facilitate ingress and egress into and out of a building, and thus includes both personnel entry doors as well as vehicular garage doors.
Historically, wood has been used to fabricate door jambs used in residential door frames. Wood has also been used to provide casings, also known as “trim” and “nosings”, as part of a door frame. Wood is stiff, rigid, structurally tough, and readily attached to e.g. structural members of the building using nails, screws, and the like. Wood frames are painted to match the consumer's aesthetic specifications as well as to protect the wood from the effects of weathering. While wood readily accepts paint, wood frames require periodic repainting in order to maintain the aesthetic and protection attributes, especially to prevent the wood from being directly exposed to the weather, such as to ambient moisture, and rotting which accompanies such moisture exposure. So while wood provides a number of desirable qualities, wood also has some properties which are not desirable in an exterior door through which entrance is gained to the building.
As an improvement on painted wood, extruded aluminum cladding has been used to cover over wood frames. Extruded aluminum, however, is susceptible to wear and tear, for example denting and corrosion. While cladding obviates the need for periodic repainting, cladding does not address the issue of water wicking up into the frame from the bottom ends of the side jambs of the frame. Nor does cladding address the potential for rot or other wood deterioration which is typically associated with wicked water. Further, if the cladding is damaged, attempts at on-site repainting of the aluminum achieve less than desired results in terms of aesthetic appearance.
As another way of addressing the problems associated with wood door frames, it is known to use plastic and plastic-coated wood as replacements for wood frames. However, frames made with such materials are typically more expensive, and require more labor to produce and install, and some such structures are subject to undesired levels of expansion and contraction with changes in ambient temperature and/or changes in ambient moisture levels.
Thus, a recognized problem in the conventional art is that residential door frames and cladding require substantial user maintenance to prevent wear and tear, and degradation, and still may not achieve those objectives. Furthermore, previous door frame kit designs, including side light windows, were relatively expensive to produce and maintain. Thus, it is desirable to provide door frames and cladding made from material which is relatively durable and weather resistant. Further, it is desirable to provide consumers with maintenance free door frames and door frame cladding. Still further, it is desirable to provide such door frames which are cost-effective.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,343,438 Boldt (incorporated herein by reference in its entirety) discloses door frame kits, to be assembled into door frames, and door frames assembled from such kits. The Boldt '438 door frame kits include a top member, and first and second side members configured to be attached to the top member by screws or other connectors. The door frame kits disclosed in Boldt '438 comprise extruded aluminum structures, which define the top and side members of the door frame kit. Each top and side member includes the extruded aluminum structure, and a reinforcing wood insert recessed in a cavity in the extruded aluminum structure. A profile of such extruded aluminum structure defines the cavity which receives the substrate therein, wherein the substrate serves to structurally reinforce the extruded aluminum structure.
The door frames and cladding taught in Boldt '438 have certain disadvantages such as being susceptible to damage after exposure to the elements and from physical impacts by ingress and egress through the doorway, as well as less than desired results from repainting of damaged areas of the aluminum.
What is needed is a door frame and door frame kit and/or cladding kit which has members which are fabricated from a more durable, more maintenance-free material, e.g. the invented pultruded fiber reinforced polymeric material such as pultruded fiberglass. Such pultruded structure provides strength and protection desired of the door frame, as well as aesthetically pleasing appearance. Moreover, pultruded members can be fabricated and assembled to form a door frame, optionally with side light windows. Alternatively a kit containing such members can be provided in disassembled form, and assembled at the installation site. Further, pultruded FRP frame and mullion cladding can be applied to a frame or substrate prior to reaching, or at, an installation site.
These and other needs are alleviated, or at least attenuated, by the novel products and methods of the invention.